Prioritizing restoration and conservation of Wyoming’s sagebrush ecosystems for wildlife and sagebrush connectivity
To support strategic ecosystem management across the imperiled sagebrush steppe in Wyoming, USA, we developed an extension of the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET). Our expanded tool leverages emerging spatial data resources to provide a structured but customizable set of scenarios that can guide landscape-scale planning efforts by prioritizing conservation and restoration of sagebrush ecosystems to: a) provide habitat for multiple sagebrush-dependent and sagebrush-associated species, b) maintain or improve habitat connectivity, and c) avoid risk of restoration failure or preservation of sagebrush unlikely to persist under a changing climate. We also assess the influence of data uncertainty on prioritization outcomes and integrate prioritizations into an existing regional conservation plan.
We expanded the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET) to guide strategic ecosystem management under several scenarios: Scenario 1 – prioritize conservation of existing, intact sagebrush; Scenario 2 – prioritize restoration of currently degraded sagebrush; and Scenario 3 – prioritize conservation and restoration actions within an existing regional conservation plan. We use the first two scenarios to explore trade-offs and synergies across Wyoming between prioritizing the habitat needs of single or multiple species (greater sage-grouse, pygmy rabbit, Brewer’s sparrow, green-tailed towhee, sage thrasher and sagebrush sparrow), emphasizing different ecological constraints (for example, connectivity, long-term climate change risk, restoration feasibility), and incorporating uncertainty into the planning process. We then use the third scenario to evaluate how these conservation and restoration priorities change when integrated into an existing sagebrush conservation design. This project demonstrates how spatial conservation prioritization can be used to create and expand adaptable decision-support tools that accommodate newly available data resources and are transferable across a wide array of systems and species.
Scenario #1: Identifying Priority Conservation Sites
Our first scenario identifies priority areas for protecting existing, high-value habitats for sagebrush-dependent and sagebrush-associated species from future development or degradation. This scenario uses multiple data layers to prioritize conservation sites that maintain sagebrush connectivity, are most likely to support sagebrush by 2080 given a changing climate, or are least likely to recover from disturbance.
Scenario #2: Identifying Priority Restoration Sites
Our second scenario identifies priority areas for sagebrush restoration. We prioritized restoration efforts where sagebrush cover had declined or was lower than its ecological potential, and where restoration was likely to improve habitat for sagebrush-dependent and sagebrush-associated species. Prioritization was also influenced by the likelihood of restoration success or opportunities to improve connectivity by restoring sites where habitat connectivity had been lost.
Scenario #3: Enhancing Existing Conservation Strategies
This scenario combines elements from scenarios 1 and 2 to complement and ‘step-down’ prioritization within the Sagebrush Conservation Design (SCD), an existing broad planning strategy for the sagebrush biome. The SCD separates sagebrush habitats into areas where existing sagebrush should be retained (Core Sagebrush Areas) and where sagebrush habitat can be grown (Growth Opportunity Areas). We designed a scenario to prioritize conservation and restoration sites within “Core Sagebrush Areas” and “Growth Opportunity Areas” that also incorporate new estimates of species abundance, species density, habitat connectivity, and sagebrush restoration potential. While centered on identifying priority sites for greater sage-grouse, this scenario also considers the needs of a diverse set of sagebrush-obligate and sagebrush-associated species of conservation concern to facilitate multi-species management.
The results of this work are under review and intended to be published and publicly available by early 2024.
Prioritizing restoration and conservation of sagebrush ecosystems in northwestern Colorado
Prioritizing sagebrush protection and restoration within the upper Colorado River Basin
Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET): A USGS-facilitated Decision-support Tool for Sagebrush Ecosystem Conservation and Restoration Actions
Predicting Recovery of Sagebrush Ecosystems Across the Sage-grouse Range from Remotely Sensed Vegetation Data
Modeling Songbird Density-Habitat Relationships to Predict Population Responses to Environmental Change Within Pinyon-juniper and Sagebrush Ecosystems
Optimization of Management Actions for Restoration Success and Wildlife Populations
Informing the Habitat Assessment Framework Process—An Assessment to Understand Habitat Patch Composition and Configuration Requirements for Range-Wide Sage-Grouse Persistence
Defining Multi-Scaled Functional Landscape Connectivity for the Sagebrush Biome to Support Management and Conservation Planning of Multiple Species
To support strategic ecosystem management across the imperiled sagebrush steppe in Wyoming, USA, we developed an extension of the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET). Our expanded tool leverages emerging spatial data resources to provide a structured but customizable set of scenarios that can guide landscape-scale planning efforts by prioritizing conservation and restoration of sagebrush ecosystems to: a) provide habitat for multiple sagebrush-dependent and sagebrush-associated species, b) maintain or improve habitat connectivity, and c) avoid risk of restoration failure or preservation of sagebrush unlikely to persist under a changing climate. We also assess the influence of data uncertainty on prioritization outcomes and integrate prioritizations into an existing regional conservation plan.
We expanded the Prioritizing Restoration of Sagebrush Ecosystems Tool (PReSET) to guide strategic ecosystem management under several scenarios: Scenario 1 – prioritize conservation of existing, intact sagebrush; Scenario 2 – prioritize restoration of currently degraded sagebrush; and Scenario 3 – prioritize conservation and restoration actions within an existing regional conservation plan. We use the first two scenarios to explore trade-offs and synergies across Wyoming between prioritizing the habitat needs of single or multiple species (greater sage-grouse, pygmy rabbit, Brewer’s sparrow, green-tailed towhee, sage thrasher and sagebrush sparrow), emphasizing different ecological constraints (for example, connectivity, long-term climate change risk, restoration feasibility), and incorporating uncertainty into the planning process. We then use the third scenario to evaluate how these conservation and restoration priorities change when integrated into an existing sagebrush conservation design. This project demonstrates how spatial conservation prioritization can be used to create and expand adaptable decision-support tools that accommodate newly available data resources and are transferable across a wide array of systems and species.
Scenario #1: Identifying Priority Conservation Sites
Our first scenario identifies priority areas for protecting existing, high-value habitats for sagebrush-dependent and sagebrush-associated species from future development or degradation. This scenario uses multiple data layers to prioritize conservation sites that maintain sagebrush connectivity, are most likely to support sagebrush by 2080 given a changing climate, or are least likely to recover from disturbance.
Scenario #2: Identifying Priority Restoration Sites
Our second scenario identifies priority areas for sagebrush restoration. We prioritized restoration efforts where sagebrush cover had declined or was lower than its ecological potential, and where restoration was likely to improve habitat for sagebrush-dependent and sagebrush-associated species. Prioritization was also influenced by the likelihood of restoration success or opportunities to improve connectivity by restoring sites where habitat connectivity had been lost.
Scenario #3: Enhancing Existing Conservation Strategies
This scenario combines elements from scenarios 1 and 2 to complement and ‘step-down’ prioritization within the Sagebrush Conservation Design (SCD), an existing broad planning strategy for the sagebrush biome. The SCD separates sagebrush habitats into areas where existing sagebrush should be retained (Core Sagebrush Areas) and where sagebrush habitat can be grown (Growth Opportunity Areas). We designed a scenario to prioritize conservation and restoration sites within “Core Sagebrush Areas” and “Growth Opportunity Areas” that also incorporate new estimates of species abundance, species density, habitat connectivity, and sagebrush restoration potential. While centered on identifying priority sites for greater sage-grouse, this scenario also considers the needs of a diverse set of sagebrush-obligate and sagebrush-associated species of conservation concern to facilitate multi-species management.
The results of this work are under review and intended to be published and publicly available by early 2024.